The Black Circle
by Childe of Darkness
Summary: AU Vernon's gambling always got him into trouble. This time, he's in over his head and tries to use Harry as a payoff. Let's just say he never gets to.
1. Prologue part 1

The Black Circle

Rating: PG-13 (subject to change)

Pairing(s); HP/OC (friendship) ( Pairings subject to change)

Warning(s): violence, language, slash

Prologue

( The Daily Prophet)

_Late last night the Dark Lord, whose name I shall never write nor speak again – I am sure I am not the only one whose fears have been realized – struck again. And this time he struck not one, but four homes._

_All four homes were located in Godrics Hollow, and were inhabited by either top Aurors or members of Albus Dumbledore's ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (for more on THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX turn to page 42). The murder of one family in particular forced the esteemed Hogwarts Headmaster to 'lose his cool'._

_The Potter family, whom we all knew and liked, were what looked like the last family to be attacked. James Potter (39) was struck by the killing curse (For more on the killing curse turn to page 45) before the Dark Lord even entered the room. It was proven that the curse was shot from the wand of one Emile Vance (For a list of the captured Death Eaters turn to page 44), who confessed under Veritaserum the plan behind the killings and the members involved. Lily Potter (38) was struck down by a killing curse not long after James._

_But there is not only heartbreak and loss on this night. Young Harry Potter (1) survived the attack with nothing more than a lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Rumor has it that because Lily Potter had thrown herself in front of the curse meant for young Harry, she had inadvertently placed a strong love-protection charm on the young man that later saved him from the deadly curse and rebounded it back onto the Dark Lord._

_Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Dark Lord has been defeated! Finally, the world can rest and be assured that his dark rein is over._

Four Years Later

Grease sizzled as bacon was expertly flipped in a medium sized pan. A curse was muttered in a soft tone as some splattered over the edge. Harsh blue-green eyes turned to the silent figure standing at the edge of the counter, a large plate in hand.

"It's a real shame you're so young. You could be doing this while I curled my hair." The woman spoke harshly, patting her frizzy hair with a bony hand.

"I'm sorry Aunt Petunia." The woman, Petunia Dursley, snorted softly.

"Hold up the plate." The boy held up the heavy plate and Petunia tipped the bacon onto the flowered surface, ignoring the soft yelp her nephew let out when the how grease splattered onto his hands. "Go put it on the table. Take a piece – a burnt one, mind you! – then go to your cupboard."

"Yes Aunt Petunia, thank you Aunt Petunia." Four-year-old Harry Potter softly slid the plate onto the kitchen table and grabbed a small piece of burnt bacon. He scurried out of the way as his aunt slid a plate of stacked pancakes next to the bacon and retreated quickly to his the cupboard under the stairs.

At the tender age of one Harry's parents had been killed in a car crash. Or so he had been told. But strange dreams and even stranger occurrences in his short life led Harry to believe that his parents' deaths were no accident, nor were they 'usual circumstances' he had been led to believe.

Instead, if he were to believe his nightmares, they had been murdered. By a man with red eyes and dark hair. If he were to believe his nightmares, they would have been murdered by magic. And if he were to believe his nightmares, he too was able to do magic – like them.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by his uncle's deep voice and the accompanying rattle of the rafters as the large man tromped down the stairs. "Where's the boy Petunia?" Harry tilted his head.

"In his cupboard. Why?" His uncle muttered something Harry could not quite make out. "What might you need him for? The lazy no good boy would only get in your way."

"Not this time Pet." Harry cracked open his door and closed his eyes as they moved into the living room. Sometimes if he willed it, his hearing would get better and he would be able to hear the conversation. And there it was, an increase in his hearing just like before.

"Were you gambling again Vernon?" Nothing new there. Vernon's gambling problems were always high.

"Maybe a little." Harry heard a snort from his aunt. "I'm in deep this time, and there's only one way I can get out of it." Harry heard a sigh and a soft thump and his aunt – he supposed it was his aunt, as his uncle's large body would have made a bigger thump if it fell on a couch – fell onto the couch.

"I've warned you Vernon….. Who did you brass off this time?"

"One of the Black Circle." There was an even louder sigh. "Look, I know how to make it go away and I need the boy."

"For what?"

"I know a man who will buy him."

TBC

Thanks a bunches to my new beta animewolfgirl. I will be sending her each of the chapters I have posted, so don't expect an update chapter wise until after she finishes looking at what I have written as well as what I wrote for chapter two. Enjoy!


	2. Prologue part 2

The Black Circle

Rating: PG-13 (subject to change)

Pairing(s); HP/OC (friendship) ( Pairings subject to change)

Warning(s): violence, language, slash

AN: I don't know anything about British/American money so I'm making it all up.

Prologue (Part Two)

"SHANE CARVER!" Shane's elbow slipped off the arm of his chair and nearly smashed his chin on the table in front of him as the enraged shout of one who could only belong to of the Black Circle echoed through the medium-sized dining hall. Shane managed to regain his dignity before a brown-haired man with electric blue eyes slammed into the hall.

"Don't you know the meaning of 'private dining hall' Orion?" Shane asked in a bored, yet dangerous, tone. Orion paused briefly, as if debating whether Shane was really mad at him or not, before continuing up to stand in front of the man. "What is it you want?"

"I need to talk to you about that Dursley fellow." Orion said with a small sneer of disgust.

"The one who entered our tavern downtown and lost a good deal of money to us?" Shane asked, vaguely recalled an obese man with a mustache. "What about him?" He asked in a bored tone, not really wanting to talk about the fat whale of a man just after he ate.

"He hasn't paid up yet." Shane tilted his head in slight interest.

"When I was there he only lost a small amount. Something in the area of a thousand American dollars. Am I right?" Orion nodded. "So what's the problem?"

"Well, he promised to come back and pay up at a later date so we gave him until yesterday night. I haven't been in and neither has Dominic. But I hear from Siren that the man's been back. And he's been gambling again with our people." At this, Shane frowned and leaned foreword in his chair.

"And how has he been doing?"

"He won some, and then lost it all against Siren. But he kept going and said he'd pay Siren back as he kept losing….." Shane sighed. "He now owes me and Siren around thirty thousand." Shane whistled.

"That's a large load of cash. Did he say he could produce it?"

"Some of it, yes." Orion scowled. "He's a pig Shane. I could hear him mumbling something about selling….it sounded like 'a boy'." Shane let out a small growl. How he hated gamblers that sold their children or other's children to pay up a debt! If there was anything – and there wasn't much mind – that he hated and that the Black Circle didn't tolerate, it was slavery or selling of a child. Consensual S&M however….

"Gather Siren, Dominic, and Aden. We're going to pay this man a little visit. He'd be at his office right about now?"

"Grunnings." Shane snorted. "Lunch break in thirty." His boys sure did their work.

"Good. Dress your worse. I'll meet you outside his office in twenty and we'll all go up and have him a chat." Orion nodded. He clicked his heels together, straightened his back, and saluted before spinning on his heel and leaving the room.

Shane stood up, waved his hand, and the dishes on the table disappeared to the kitchen. With one last lip curl at the thought of Dursley, he strode out of the room through a hidden back entrance and made his way calmly to his private rooms. Once inside he shed his bedclothes and strode over to the large wardrobe. A wave of a hand opened it and he stepped inside.

He pulled down a pair of dragonhide pants and slid them on. The leather look-alike hugged his legs snugly until about mid-calf then flared out slightly to allow boots to be slid underneath. He left the top button undone for the moment and began to rifle through the array of shirts.

Five seconds later he had a blood-red sleeveless tee in hand and a black mesh top in the other. The black mesh went on first and after it settled on his body he slid the red tee over it. He shook himself out, tucked the mesh shirt into the pants, and then added a studded leather belt to the ensemble.

Bending down he pushed aside a few pairs of calf-length boots until he found the one's he was looking for. They were made out of blood red dragonhide, with black shading and buckles. The boots themselves went nearly up to his knee, so he tucked the pants into them and buckled them.

He completed the ensemble with a pair of matching spiked wrist cuffs, a thick dog choker-chain, and black nail polish. He strode out of the wardrobe and snatched his wand holster off his end-table. The black wand he rarely used was tucked safely inside. He only carried it with him under a charm that only allowed people who knew of magic – and believed of it – could see it.

He strapped a knife into a hidden pocket in each boot, and one went into the holster on his belt. Four vials of potions – one healing, one veritaserum, and two that exploded when thrown – went into the vial holder on his other side. All four vials magically shrunk to fit in the small holders.

He wandlessly summoned his gun holsters to himself along with the long, black, half-trench coat half-wizarding cloak. The holsters were slung over his back policeman-style and after checking that the guns were loaded, he slid them into the holsters that peeked out under each arm.

Lastly, he waved his hand and his hair shortened a bit and spiked into fine points. Red streaks appeared the inky blackness. His pupils shortened from slits to round dots and the odd red color changed to blue. He totally planned on shifting back to his true form once he was alone with Dursley.

He strode out of his room and was pleased to find Siren, Dominic, Aden and Orion waiting for him in the main exit to the garages. He shot them a smirk as he studied their choice of clothing.

They all had on varying colors of leather or dragonhide pants. Dominic had on a mesh shirt like his own, just without the red tee over it. Siren had a red and orange shirt that was charmed to look like flames – the charm however, was dormant for the time being. Aden and Orion, siblings, both had on royal blue tees and a black undershirt. All four had the leather coat like Shane's – it did have the symbol of the Black Circle on the back after all!

"So who's ready to threaten some fat ass?"

TBC

Here's the next chappie. Don't worry, you will get to see Shane threaten Vernon. That'll be one of my favorite parts to write.

Okay, this chappie is finally beta'd. The next chapter (1) will be re-posted within the next week and chapter two in the next two weeks. After that it'll probably by one-two chapters a week depending on how fast I write.


	3. Chapter One

The Black Circle

Rating: PG-13 (subject to change)

Pairing(s); HP/OC (friendship) ( Pairings subject to change)

Warning(s): violence, language, slash

AN: I don't know anything about British/American money so I'm making it all up.

I'm baaaaaack! Did anybody miss me? (looks around) Guess not. Anyway, here's chapter one of The Black Circle. I'm still working on retrieving World Beware from the floppy disk from hell. I'm also working on Hospital Blues. Shocking yeah?

Chapter One

Harry stared at the locked shed door with a small pout on his face. His uncle, the great brute that he was, had shoved him inside and locked the door on him while Harry had been coiling the hose. It was a very rude thing to do, in Harry's opinion, but he didn't really expect anything else from his hateful Uncle.

Ever since he'd been left on their doorstep as a baby – Dudley loved to rub this in his face – he the only one who bore the brunt of his relatives' anger and hatred. He rarely got enough food, he slept in the cupboard under the stairs, and he was struck quite often by all three of the Dursleys. And he hadn't even done anything!

"I'm telling you now Dursley…." Harry shook his head free of thoughts when he heard the angry tone of a man in the yard. He crawled over to the shed's sole window, happy to find that it pointed in the right direction. He blinked in shock upon seeing the small group of five practically surrounding his Uncle.

"Wait, please, I'm getting the money!" Harry watched his uncle blubber. He giggled softly to himself at the sight of his uncle, clearly frightened by these five young men – some of which were smaller than him!

"Siren tells me you've been saying that for a very long time." One said. Harry studied him curiously. Red shirt, black odd-looking pants that reminded Harry of leather, tall boots, a long black coat, and black hair with red streaks. He had black polish on his fingernails and a chain rested around his neck.

"I….I….."

"You've been to our fine establishment once a week for nearly two months. You have yet to pay off your debts to my boys…and probably a few of my other customers." Blue eyes narrowed. "I'm giving you until seven tonight."

"Yes, yes, that will work out dandy!" Vernon blubbered. "I just have a few things that need sold…the buyers are coming…ack!" Harry gasped as the man's hand snapped out and up. Fingers curled around Vernon's throat and he was lifted off the ground.

"Yes, about that. What exactly do you plan on selling that will get you thirty grand?" Harry's eyebrows shot into his hairline. He knew exactly how much thirty grand was no thanks to the documentaries on TV that his aunt watched every Friday.

"A…(gasp)….few….(gasp)…..jewels…." The man tightened his hold.

"Just to warn you, I will not accept cash taken from the selling of humans." He dropped Vernon with a thump and spun on his heel. He tilted his head to look over his shoulder and Harry felt a cold chill. The blue eyes turned blood-red and Harry gasped. "Let that be a warning." He strode away around the corner of the house, his companions following close behind.

Harry scrambled away from the window as his uncle got to his feet. The door was opened minutes later and he stared at his red-faced Uncle in fear. "Go to your room boy." He rasped. Harry scurried past him and bolted into the house. His Aunt, who was in the living room, gave him an odd look as he rushed into his cupboard. But he didn't close the door all the way, opting to listen in on his relatives conversation.

"They were here." He heard his uncle say in a shaky voice.

"Who dear?"

"The Black Circle." Harry blinked. Those boys were members of the elite gang everybody feared? He heard his aunt gasp. They didn't look too scary to Harry, but then again he wasn't the one on the receiving end of their glares or their anger.

"What did they want?"

"Money." Harry snorted softly. "I still owe them."

"How much?" The last was said in a sigh of what Harry believed was disappointment, although knowing his aunt it could have meant anything.

"Thirty."

"That's not bad." She scoffed.

"Grand." There was a pause. "I owe them thirty grand." Petunia let out a shrill screech and Harry covered his ears. "But don't worry! I'm going to sell the boy – even though they said they wouldn't accept money made by human sales – but they won't know!" She let out another shrill screech.

"You better be able to pay them back, or I'm leaving this house for good!"

0000000000

Five o'clock came and went, and Harry lay curled on his side in his cupboard. So far all was quite in the Dursley household. Nobody knocked on the door or rang the bell, and no one from the Black Circle came calling early. He could hear his aunt and uncle moving about in the living room, but couldn't quite hear what they were saying.

They had locked him in the cupboard about an hour ago, Vernon muttering something about him not being able to run away with the door locked, so he focused hard on what he wanted – to hear the conversation – and his hearing heightened. He grinned.

Within the first minute he heard that the only one talking was his uncle. His aunt was silent for once. Which meant that his uncle was on the phone. "Yes he's here. I still have him."

"And….be…..time…?" Harry heard snatches of whoever was on the other end of the phone, and decided that he didn't like the snobbish tone.

"Yes yes, we don't plane on going anywhere. We'll be here….." There was a pause. "It's just, could you come here by six thirty?"

"How dare…..think….orders from…..like…..!" The man sounded angry and Harry could almost see his uncle flinch.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" Vernon was cut off by Petunias shrill gasp. Harry cocked his head as he heard the sound of roaring engines just outside.

"They're here Vernon!" There was mumbled curses from both adults and Harry heard the phone slam down, cutting off the man's angry tirade.

"They're early!" Harry's eyes widened as what could only be the front door, slammed open and into the wall. Harry willed his hearing to diminish as what could only be The Black Circle marched inside the small house.

"Hello Dursleys!" A cheery voice said. "I hope we didn't come at an inconvenient time for you."

"Y-y-you're just a little e-early." Vernon sputtered as he lumbered toward the hall.

"Yes, sorry about that. We were in the neighborhood and decided to drop by to see if you had the money ready yet." Harry slowly, cautiously, opened the cupboard door and peeked out. Standing in the hall were the same boys that had visited earlier.

"W-we're still waiting on a b-buyer."

"What are you selling?" Vernon stayed silent and Harry saw the black/red-haired boy's eyes narrow. "Why don't you show us? We might decide to take it as part of our payment." Vernon's eyes widened and he glanced towards the cupboard door. His eyes widened when he saw Harry and Harry quickly closed the door.

"He's looking toward that cupboard boss." A voice said. Harry gulped. "He must be hiding something from us." There was a gasp and a crunch, the wall behind Harry shook.

"What's in the cupboard? An antique? Something priceless?" There was a garbled choking sound and his aunt's shrill voice cut through the house.

"Let him go! You're killing him with that freakishness!" Harry was almost tempted to peek out, just to see what was going on, but when he heard his aunt scream shrilly in fear he decided he was safer in the cupboard.

"So you know what we are." There was a thump and Vernon was the one to answer next, in a raspy tone.

"Of course! You no-good magic users…..freaks of nature!" There was a low growl and another crash. "All of your kind should be strung up by their guts and burned!" The next thing out of Vernon's mouth was a scream. Harry huddled on the bare cot and covered his ears.

He was concentrating so hard on not hearing the screams that he didn't hear his cupboard door open. Nor did he hear the quiet gasp of surprise. He did, however, notice the sudden silence. He opened his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with the dark-haired man.

"Well now, this is quite the surprise." The man said, almost softly. Harry ducked his head and scrunched his shoulders, eyes wide as two triangular shapes swiveled on the man's head.

"What do you want to do with it?" Harry's eyes traveled to the burly-looking man standing off to the side.

"He, Dominic." The man gave his companion an annoyed glance and the two triangular shaped on his head went flat. "And I believe we'll take him with us." There were several small gasps of disbelief from the entourage, but nobody protested. "He certainly can't stay here."

"Talk sense boss, we can't raise a kid! And a muggle one at that!" The man scoffed and Harry jumped.

"He isn't a muggle." Total silence and Harry shuddered as the man turned his red-eyed gaze. "Are you? You're a wizard, which explains how your relatives know about our kind."

"You've got to be joking."

"Hush Dominic. You'll frighten him even more. Now, how about you come on out of there?" The man held out a hand and Harry stared at it. "My name is Shane."

"H-harry." Only years of manners drilled in by the Dursleys allowed Harry to speak. The man, Shane, smiled.

"Well Harry, I can bet that those people in there didn't take good care of you. How would you like to come out and come live with us?" Shane plopped back from his crouch and crossed his legs so he was sitting just outside the door, and Harry stared. The Dursleys never sat on the floor. Not with him.

"He's serious…." Harry looked to the right to find that another man had joined the group. Now there were four crowded around the cupboard and Harry trembled. "Well, come on then boys. Give the kid some space. Shoo!" This smaller man bustled the other two off, reminding Harry strongly of his Aunt Marge when she visited and ended up babysitting Dudley and his friends.

"So young Harry." Harry turned his attention back to Shane, and started when he noticed a thick bushy object curled on the floor beside the man. The tip twitched and Harry jumped. "Ah, I'm sure you've never seen someone like me. Well, let me tell you a bit about what I am. Will that make you feel more comfortable?" Harry nodded shakily. "Right-o then. Well, I am a wizard. I can do magic."

"N-n-no such t-thing." Shane tilted his head.

"Sure there is! But you see, we live in a whole different world. It's hidden, so people like your Uncle don't find us and hurt us." Harry nodded uncertainly. "Now, I'm not only a wizard. You see, many years ago another wizard had an idea. He wanted to make a magical being that had all the powers and none of the weaknesses of three of the strongest part-humans alive."

"P-Part humans?"

"Yes Harry. Part humans are beings that have both human and beastly qualities." Harry glanced up at Shane's ears upon hearing the word 'beastly' and Shane nodded. "Like my ears, which help me hear things that no other human can. "This man wanted to cross a werewolf, a vampire, and a siren." Harry's eyes widened. He knew werewolf and vampire…..but what was a siren other than one of those loud things he heard his uncle complain about? Shane must have seen the puzzled look and he began to explain. "A siren is a winged, cat-like being that has an unearthly howl." Here Shane paused for breath. "I am only one third of each. Because of the werewolf in me, i can turn into the wolf. But my transformation isn't painful or forced, and I can do so at any time. The senses of the wolf are blended with the senses of the vampire in me. I have fangs, larger ones than a normal vampire due to the wolf and siren blood, but I don't need to drink blood in order to become strong. The siren in me makes my wolf form look cat-like, and I can turn into a panther at will. I also have the customary wings that can show on all of my forms, and my eyes are the customary color of the siren and vampire."

"You won't hurt me then?" Harry asked softly, if not a little boldly.

"Never." An odd look passed through Shane's eyes but Harry couldn't read it. Shane held out his hand and this time, Harry took it. He gasped as he was pulled out of the cupboard and up…..wait, up into Shane's arms? Harry looked down at the floor where Shane had been sitting.

"One of the perks. Super speed and agility." Shane explained. Harry bit his lip as they turned around. "IS everybody set?" Shane asked. Harry grabbed a hold of a piece of Shane's shirt as four guys crowded around them.

"It's just us." One said.

"Good. We apparate. I'll go first with Harry. I'm taking him to my chambers first and getting him cleaned up. Feel free to do whatever, but be ready tomorrow for a little trip." Harry heard the others say something in agreement and closed his eyes as the wall melted away.

TBC

Sorry it took so long to get out, but I'm in the middle of a 10 page paper for school. Can't say when the next chappie will be up, so be patient. I'm also making this story my first priority for the moment as I STILL have writers block on World Beware. Plus my outline went suspiciously missing (glares at parents).

Anyways, I'm also looking for a beta for this story (and possibly my other stories both posted and WIPs that I haven't posted yet, I'm just not sure which ones). If anyone is interested just let me know by email or review.


	4. Chapter Two

The Black Circle

Rating: PG-13 (subject to change)

Pairing(s); HP/OC (friendship) ( Pairings subject to change)

Warning(s): violence, language, slash

A/N: I've done it again. I've written out an outline for a new story that I hope will be novel-length. I can't say when it will be posted as I'll probably be having a beta reader looking it over. (Hopefully the one I have looking over this story as she's awesome!)

Chapter Two

Shane paced about his quarters as a house elf readied his clothes for the "raid". The Dursley man smelled off to him, horribly off. Something similar to the darkness he smelt on various Dark Lords throughout his life, though not as intense. But there was also something else…..a scent not that dissimilar to his own.

"Could he be living with a wizard? Or maybe there's another like me in that house. Not probable, but possible." He murmered to himself. Anything was possible…

'Sir, your clothes are done." Shane turned toward the outfit the elf had laid out and smiled. Prefect. Black leather pants with small moving flames around the leg openings, a tight red-orange tee shirt, the black boots he'd worn earlier, and a various array of metal jewelry. He changed his hair color to black with red-orange highlights. A bell that rang throughout the mansion alerted him of his Inner Circle's appearance, and he changed quickly.

He left his wand in it's holster and strapped a dagger to each thigh. His gun holster was slung over his back and his long coat went over it. He clipped several potion vials to his belt, then made sure everything was secure before making his way downstairs.

00000

Shane shook his head as he watched the fat elder Dursley through the front window of the small home. He was talking to someone on the phone, but because he was turned away from the window Shane couldn't read his lips. But he had a hunch it was about the sale of whatever Vernon was going to sell. "We ready yet boss?" Orion asked quietly from behind him.

"Yes Orion, yes." The small group of five made their way over to the front door as a handful of Circle members roared up on motorcycles. They were there in case any problems arose, and just to sound intimidating. Not to mention they would attract the neighbors to their windows…

Shane could see Vernon slam down the phone as he passed the window and blew the door open with wandless magic. He smirked as they tromped in, leaving muddy footprints as they went. Dominic even took it upon himself to mess up the perfectly aligned photos of an extremely obese boy on the wall.

"Hello Dursleys" He greeted cheerfully. "I hope we didn't come at an inconvenient time for you." He could hear Aden chuckle in the background, but had his complete focus on Dursley.

"Y-y-you're just a little e-early." Vernon sputtered as he made his way into the dusty hall. He was careful to step around the splinters of the door, which was hanging open on its hinges and missing a few good sized pieces.

"Yes, sorry about that. We were in the neighborhood and decided to drop by to see id you had the money ready yet." Shane said, scanning the area without moving more than his eyes. He saw the cupboard door behind the fat man creak open a bit but couldn't see if there's was anything inside.

"W-we're still waiting on a b-buyer." Vernon mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. Shane picked up on the nervousness and narrowed his eyes as he asked;

"What are you selling?" Vernon stayed silent. "Why don't you show us? We might decide to take it as part of our payment." Vernon's eyes widened and Shane noticed him glance towards the cupboard, confirming Shane's suspicions that whatever the man was selling was inside. And he had the further feeling that he wouldn't like the 'object' that was being sold one bit.

"He's looking at the cupboard boss." Orion pointed out, but only for the sake of watching Dursley squirm at the point made. "He must be hiding something from us." Shane waved his hand and Vernon flew backwards into the wall, creating lines as the plaster broke around him.

"What's in the cupboard? An antique? Something priceless?" Shane swiftly moved in front of the terrified looking man and with serpent-like speed had a hand wrapped around the man's thick throat. He lifted him off the ground slightly and Dursley's pudgy hands gripped Shane's wrists..

"Let him go! You're killing him with all this freakishness!" The woman's shrill voice echoed in the hall. Shane cast her back into the living room with a simple blasting spell that forced her onto the couch. He was only slightly annoyed that he ahd forgotten she was there, but dismissed it because he figured that it was because she had been hiding and he hadn't sensed her as a threat.

'So you know what we are." Vernon was released with a thump and he rubbed his throat before speaking.

"Of course! You no good magic-users…freaks of nature!" Shane growled low in his throat and used his 'freakishness' to throw Vernon acroåss the room. Several vases fell as he slammed through them and he knocked a few pictures off of the wall. "All of your kind should be strung up by their guts and burned." He croaked when he could breath again. Shane bared his teeth and set the man's hands on fire. The fat man screamed shrilly in pain and Shane released the fire when the man's hands were black. The fat man passed out and his wife followed shortly after.

Shane turned away from the two with a grunt of disdain and made his way over to the now-shut cupboard. He narrowed his eyes and motioned for his men to back down. The small group retreated, but Orion motioned with his hand to Shane's head. Shane frowned when he realized that he had released the charm hiding his ears and tail. He shrugged and knelt down.

He opened the cupboard door and let out a small gasp at what was found inside. The boy inside opened his eyes and jumped when he noticed Shane in front of him. "Well now, this is quite a surprise." The boy ducked his head and scrunched his shoulders in an attempt to hide by making himself smaller.

"What do you want to do with it?" Shane's pinned his ears in annoyance.

"He, Dominic." The boy's eyes were switching between Shane and Dominic. "And I believe we'll take him with us." Shane heard his group gasp in disbelief, but nobody truly protested. "He certainly can't stay here."

"Talk sense boss, we can't raise a kid! And a muggle one at that!" Shane scoffed and the boy jumped.

"He isn't a muggle." Total silence and the boy shuddered as Shane studied him. "Are you? You're a wizard, which explains how your relatives know about our kind."

"You've got to be joking."

"Hush Dominic. You'll frighten him even more. Now, how about you come out of there?" Shane held out a hand to the boy, who stared at it. "My name is Shane."

"H-harry." The boy whispered. Shane smiled in encouragement.

"He's serious…." Shane tilted his head to see Orion watching them. All four were now crowded in the hallway. "Well, come on then boys. Give the kid some space. Shoo!" Orion hustled the men away, giving Shane a look. Shane turned his attention back to Harry.

"So young Harry." The boy also turned his attention away from the retreating Circle members and back to Shane. He glanced around the man and jumped when Shane twitched his tail. "Ah, I'm sure you've never seen someone like me. Well, let me tell you a bit about what I am. Would that make you feel more comfortable?" The boy nodded shakily. "Right-o then. Well, I am a wizard. I can do magic."

"N-n-no such t-thing." Shane tilted his head, expecting this response.

"Sure there is! But you see, we live in a whole different world. It's hidden, so people like your Uncle don't find us and hurt us." Harry nodded uncertainly. "Now, I'm not only a wizard. You see, many years ago another wizard had an idea. He wanted to make a magical being that had all the powers and none of the weaknesses of three of the strongest part-humans alive."

"P-Part humans?"

"Yes Harry. Part humans are beings that have both human and beastly qualities." Harry glanced up at Shane's ears upon hearing the word 'beastly' and Shane nodded. "Like my ears, which help me hear things that no other human can. This man wanted to cross a werewolf, a vampire, and a siren." Harry's eyes widened. Shane noted the puzzled look on his face and he began to explain. "A siren is a winged, cat-like being that has an unearthly howl." Here Shane paused for breath. "I am only one third of each. Because of the werewolf in me, i can turn into the wolf. But my transformation isn't painful or forced, and I can do so at any time. The senses of the wolf are blended with the senses of the vampire in me. I have fangs, larger ones than a normal vampire due to the wolf and siren blood, but I don't need to drink blood in order to become strong. The siren in me makes my wolf form look cat-like, and I can turn into a panther at will. I also have the customary wings that can show on all of my forms, and my eyes are the customary color of the siren and vampire."

"You won't hurt me then?" Harry asked softly, if not a little boldly.

"Never." The thought turned Shane's stomach at how this boy must have been treated. Shane held out his hand and this time, Harry took it. He gasped as he was pulled out of the cupboard and up. Shane felt Harry look down at the floor where Shane had been sitting.

"One of the perks. Super speed and agility." Shane explained. Harry bit his lip as they turned around. "IS everybody set?" Shane asked. Harry grabbed a hold of a piece of Shane's shirt as four guys crowded around them.

"It's just us, the rest left." Orion said.

"Good. We apparate. I'll go first with Harry. I'm taking him to my chambers first and getting him cleaned up. Feel free to do whatever, but be ready tomorrow for a little trip." The others agreed and Shane apparated away.

TBC

Like it? Hate it? Let me know…but do so nicely!

Gods I am sooo sorry for not getting this out sooner. I've been really busy. School is almost over and I have loads of work to do now, so don't expect much for the next week or so either.


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